Chapter 360: The Problem After the Disaster

Jiang Jiang Mingyu, entering the city under heavy rain, saw a scene that made one's hair stand on end.

Jiangzhou lies in a low-lying area; although the Dahe River had long been blocked, the floodwater within the city had not yet receded. On the turbid water floated countless bodies of the victims, men and women, old and young. These corpses were like groups of steamed buns that had been soaked and swollen, their skin pale and wrinkled, extremely terrifying and hideous. A boy of about ten years floated nearby, his eyes wide open, as if in his final moment he had desperately tried to grab something to save himself; a middle-aged woman held a still-sucking infant in her arms, the three bodies stacked together, the mother-and-child protective posture making one's heart ache. This tragic sight stirred compassion in every heart.

Beside many corpses, numerous drenched commoners knelt prostrate; among them were the old and the young, weeping bitterly over the bodies, their wails rising and falling, a scene too cruel to behold. An old man of about fifty or sixty knelt beside the corpse of a young man; his temples were streaked with white, his gaze vacant, clutching the young man's garment hem and sobbing loudly, occasionally muttering to himself: "My son, my son..." A young woman of about thirty knelt beside a female corpse; her face was wet with tears, at one moment shaking the corpse's body desperately, at another screaming hysterically, her expression filled with great pain and terror. Others were in similar situations, overwhelmed with grief.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu and his group slowly stepped through the floodwater, approaching these commoners. The commoners, who had originally watched in fear from afar as the One Da Jiang troops entered the city slowly, now suddenly saw Lord Jiang Jiang Mingyu clad in armor; a complex expression flashed in their eyes, seeming both fearful and hopeful.

Originally, since the rain had poured down heavily, the people of Jiangzhou had hidden in their homes, waiting for the rain to end. They did not expect that last night the Dahe River outside the city had suddenly burst its banks; the surging floodwaters instantly submerged the surrounding villages, taking countless lives. When the people, after the flood had slightly receded, tried to find their relatives, they discovered the water surface was covered with bloated and deformed corpses. A middle-aged man paced anxiously at his doorway, looking around in all directions, then crying out painfully to the sky; an old woman lay on her bed, her breath faint, while her son knelt beside the bed holding her hand and weeping, the eyes of the mother and son filled with fear and despair. Facing this sudden catastrophe, Ke Bin, the governor of Jiangzhou, was not only helpless but also led his troops and fled. Just as the people were in despair, the floodwaters miraculously receded before the arrival of the One Da Jiang army; only then did they realize that Jiang Jiang Mingyu must have led people to block the breach upstream.

Thinking of this, and recalling the benevolence of this young One Da Jiang Emperor who loved his people as his own, the commoners could not help but feel gratitude. They remembered that Ke Bin, as the Governor of Southern Jiang, should have protected the people's lives, and the court should have aided the disaster victims. But now he had fled in panic, and the latter was nowhere to be seen. In contrast, Jiang Jiang Mingyu had personally traveled far to provide relief; the commoners immediately believed that the rumors of his benevolence were not false.

Thus, the vast majority of surviving commoners knelt down in unison before Jiang Jiang Mingyu's horse, shouting: "Welcome Your Majesty into the city!" A man of about forty or fifty knelt first; his body was in a mess, his face covered in mud, yet he bowed to the ground without care; another old man knelt while sobbing, weeping and bowing repeatedly in thanks; more and more followed suit, splashing mud and water everywhere as they knelt. Jiang Jiang Mingyu, looking at these grief-stricken commoners, felt a pang of sorrow in his heart, and his expression became solemn. These commoners had never seen Jiang Jiang Mingyu in person, but they recognized the famous royal banner beneath which he stood. Jiang Jiang Mingyu and his group never expected that the disaster situation, which they had planned to explain with great effort, could now be taken over in Jiangzhou so smoothly.

Seeing this, Tu Tu Kesiluo hurriedly asked Jiang Jiang Mingyu in a low voice, his brow tightly furrowed, his face overflowing with confusion.

"Big Brother, what is going on?"

Although Li Goudan and others said nothing, their wide-open eyes and slightly parted mouths also revealed the same confusion.

How could Jiang Jiang Mingyu, so shrewd, not immediately understand the crux of the matter? So he paid no attention to Tu Tu Kesiluo, but wiped the rainwater from his face and said cheerfully to the commoners.

"Fathers, elders, and common people of Jiangzhou City, I am Jiang Jiang Mingyu, the Emperor of One Da Jiang; I have seen your situation."

The commoners kneeling on the ground heard this and raised their heads together, their eyes filled with surprise.

"Ke Bin, lacking virtue, first provoked Heaven's wrath, and then, disregarding your lives, abandoned the city and fled; he is truly guilty of the gravest crimes, deserving of no mercy." Jiang Jiang Mingyu accused calmly; after hearing this, the commoners all nodded in agreement.

"I have long known his lack of virtue, which is why I led troops to come and save you from the depths of suffering." Jiang Jiang Mingyu said gently. A warm current instantly surged in the hearts of the commoners, who all cast grateful glances at Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

The commoners who had stood up felt somewhat dazed. Who would have expected that this Emperor, holding great military power and high rank, would be so approachable and polite. Compared to Governor Jia, who usually blew his beard and glared, throwing people into prison at the slightest disagreement, the difference was not just a little bit. At this moment, they had even forgotten the grief of their relatives and friends buried in the floodwaters, and were quietly happy that they had surrendered to Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu naturally sensed the change in their eyes, so he spoke with an even softer tone: "Fathers and elders, rest assured; from today on, you are the people of One Da Jiang." After hearing this, the commoners could not help but redden their eyes and nodded in relief.

"Goudan, lead people to retrieve the corpses and bury the deceased; Feng Feng Xiwei, you lead troops to take over the city defense." Jiang Jiang Mingyu gave the order decisively. The two immediately responded and acted swiftly.

"He Jing, immediately open the city's granaries and distribute the most urgently needed military rations and clothing to the disaster-stricken people; it must be done quickly." Having said this, He Jing also hurriedly left to complete the task assigned by the Emperor.

Seeing Jiang Jiang Mingyu speak thus, the commoners who had just stood up immediately knelt down again in unison, weeping and bowing their heads in gratitude once more, their hearts filled with gratitude and relief.

Seeing everyone busy, Jiang Jiang Mingyu walked toward the government office while speaking to Tu Tu Kesiluo.

"Immediately draw a portrait of Liu Liu Yifei and ask the people of the city; see if anyone has seen her?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's brows were tightly furrowed, his tone revealing anxiety and vigilance.

"If there is even the slightest news, I must know it immediately; the speed must be fast."

Tu Tu Kesiluo immediately responded, nodded seriously, and then hurriedly left to carry out the task.

Soon, the "Missing Person Notice" depicting Liu Liu Yifei's appearance was posted throughout the streets and alleys of Jiangzhou City. While Tu Tu Kesiluo was still rushing around inquiring, He Jing, with a gloomy face, had already come to report first.

"Your Majesty, there is some trouble." He Jing looked troubled, his tone low.

Trouble? Jiang Jiang Mingyu, anxiously awaiting news of Liu Liu Yifei, felt a tightening in his heart upon hearing He Jing say this, and hurriedly asked: "What is it, what trouble?"

He Jing sighed and explained the situation plainly. "The military rations in the granaries have all been soaked by the floodwater and are completely inedible. The heavy rain has not yet stopped; drying the rations in the sun is impossible in a short time. There are at least two or three hundred thousand disaster victims in the city; the small amount of military rations we have cannot last more than a few days."

After hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's face changed; dense beads of sweat had already formed between his tightly furrowed brows. He paced back and forth anxiously, clenching and unclenching his fists, unclenching and clenching again, as if trying to grasp something but always failing to catch it.

He Jing stood aside, watching the monarch's anxious state with complex feelings. He let out a long sigh and explained: "Your Majesty, this flood disaster was too sudden and too fierce; the flood control facilities could not hold it back at all, and the water directly submerged the military ration warehouses. I sent people to check; inside the warehouses, all the grain was soaked in water, moldy and spoiled, completely inedible."

After hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu felt the world spinning, his mind going blank. He stepped back two steps, sat heavily on the dragon throne, held his head with both hands, and muttered despairingly: "It's over, what should I do? My words have already been spoken; if I cannot provide military rations by dusk, I will become a king who breaks his promise. But the military rations are all destroyed, and the army will also face starvation... What on earth should I do..."

Just as he was extremely agitated, He Jing spoke again, his tone even more troubled: "Your Majesty, this matter is not only this; there are at least two or three hundred thousand disaster victims in the city; the military rations we have on hand cannot last more than a few days. If we use them all for disaster relief, the army will soon face starvation... What should be done!"

What? Two or three hundred thousand disaster victims?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu jumped up in shock, grabbing He Jing's arm tightly, asking incoherently, "Two or three hundred thousand people! With so many disaster victims, I am completely powerless to help them, yet I cannot stand by and watch them die... What on earth should I do?"

He Jing closed his eyes in pain, not knowing what to do either. The severity of the disaster had exceeded their imagination. Both men in the hall fell into a state of panic, speechless for a moment.

After a long while, Jiang Jiang Mingyu let out a long sigh, gently released his grip on He Jing's hand, his facial muscles twitching a few times, and asked with forced composure: "Where are the disaster victims in the city settled? What is the situation with the flooded granaries?"

He Jing came to his senses and began to report with a serious and earnest attitude: "Many squares in the city have been temporarily converted into shelters, already accommodating over one hundred thousand disaster victims. But subsequent relief grain is severely short; the people are wailing... Besides the military ration warehouse being flooded and destroyed, several other civilian granaries were also damaged or flooded to varying degrees..."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded while listening to He Jing's report, but his brows furrowed tighter and tighter. Heaven knows how much of a headache he had at this moment; he almost wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into. The military rations were all destroyed, and the people needed a large amount of grain for relief; this was truly a dilemma!

He looked at He Jing with a complex expression and asked in a deep voice: "How long can it last? How long can this small amount of military rations on hand support the disaster victims?"

He Jing answered softly: "Given the current number of disaster victims, it can last at most three days..."

"Three days..." Jiang Jiang Mingyu repeated softly; he felt the sky was about to collapse. In such a short time of three days, how could he raise so much disaster relief grain? This was impossible! If he really gave the military rations to the people, a mutiny in the army would be inevitable... Jiang Jiang Mingyu felt he had fallen into an unprecedented predicament and choice.

"Where is Feng Feng Xiwei?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu asked impatiently, "It has been several days since he went to transport grain; according to schedule, he should have returned to Jiangzhou long ago!"

As he spoke, he paced back and forth with long strides; the sound of his footsteps echoed in the empty Governor's mansion. Jiang Jiang Mingyu's brows were tightly furrowed, his eyes full of anxiety and hope, as if he had grabbed the last lifeline.

He Jing, seeing the monarch's anxious state, also felt complex emotions. He let out a long sigh and said slowly: "Your Majesty, under normal circumstances, Governor Feng should indeed have returned long ago. But in these past few days, heavy rain has fallen from the sky; the roads are incredibly muddy, making it difficult for carriage wheels to enter or exit. Moreover, the grain transport carts are fully loaded with grain and are particularly afraid of getting wet by rain... Judging by this situation, Governor Feng is likely to find it difficult to return on time."

"What?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu immediately stopped his footsteps upon hearing this, staring at He Jing with wide eyes, "How could there be a delay? How many days can heavy rain delay? Grain must absolutely not get wet; this..."

As he spoke, Jiang Jiang Mingyu could no longer stand; he collapsed onto the dragon throne in one go, clutching his hair tightly.

"What should I do..." he muttered to himself, his voice full of despair, "The disaster situation is so severe, the military rations are mostly destroyed, and the grain brought by Feng Feng Xiwei is my last hope... If the grain transport is delayed, what should be done? I am powerless to deal with the people's famine, and I am powerless to stop the army's mutiny..."

He Jing, seeing the monarch plunged into extreme anxiety, felt his heart cut like a knife. But the realistic predicament lay before him, and he was also powerless.

"Your Majesty..." He Jing tried to comfort him, yet did not know what to say.

Just as both were despairing and speechless, Jiang Jiang Mingyu suddenly stood up; while pacing back and forth, he shouted loudly:

"Take one step at a time; perhaps Feng Feng Xiwei will arrive tomorrow! Go, immediately send fast horses to urge Feng Feng Xiwei; let him find a way to speed up the grain transport; under no circumstances can there be a delay!"

He Jing shook his head slightly; he understood the monarch was merely comforting himself, but finally responded: "As you command, I will go do it immediately."

Watching He Jing's departing back, Jiang Jiang Mingyu let out a long breath, his face showing an indescribable complexity and anxiety.

"Feng Feng Xiwei, you must hurry back..." he muttered to himself in the empty palace. Jiang Jiang Mingyu paced back and forth excitedly in the hall, his right hand clenching into a fist and then unclenching, unclenching and clenching again, his knuckles turning white from the force.

After a long while, he finally stopped, and with one fist struck heavily on the wall, he cursed in a low voice: "Damn it, what's so great about being an Emperor! It is clearly just suffering!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu let out a self-mocking bitter smile; leaning on the wall, he slowly slid down to the ground, looking fragile beyond measure for a moment. After a long time, he raised his head to look at his own reflection on the wall, his eyes full of exhaustion and despair.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's mind was in chaos; emotions of worry, self-blame, and regret intertwined, making him almost unable to breathe. Liu Liu Yifei was missing, disaster victims needed help; various problems pressed on him simultaneously, making him completely unable to think.

"Damn it!" He suddenly stopped, and with one fist struck heavily on the wall. The back of his hand immediately turned blue and swollen, rising with fresh red, yet he felt nothing. Jiang Jiang Mingyu bit his lip tightly, his eyes full of bloodshot veins.

"Liu Liu Yifei, where on earth have you run to?! And this damn natural disaster, I am truly fed up!" he muttered hoarsely. Jiang Jiang Mingyu began pacing anxiously back and forth in the room again, clutching his hair tightly with both hands, as if he were about to collapse in the next second.

Suddenly, a cheer came from outside the window. Jiang Jiang Mingyu froze, and through the window he saw the disaster victims dancing with joy.

"Long live! Long live! Long live Your Majesty Jiang Jiang Mingyu! Thank you so much for Your Majesty's meal; we can finally have a full meal!"

The disaster victims, who had struggled in sewage all day, were finally saved; they raised their cups to praise his title, their voices filled with gratitude and reverence.

Yet Jiang Jiang Mingyu felt only as if his heart were being twisted by a knife. Leaning against the windowsill, he held his forehead with both hands and said in a low voice, as if giving up on himself:

"But with what can I face the survivors' will to survive tomorrow? Where is Liu Liu Yifei? I have no idea at all..."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu closed his eyes in pain, letting guilt and helplessness swallow his heart.

When Tu Tu Kesiluo strode into the Inspector's Mansion, Jiang Jiang Mingyu was pacing back and forth incessantly inside the hall, his face full of anxiety and worry. Hearing the door open, he immediately stopped, ran two or three steps to Tu Tu Kesiluo, grabbed his shoulders tightly with both hands, and asked in an agitated tone, "Have you found news of Liu Liu Yifei? Where exactly is she?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes were bloodshot, and his exhausted appearance looked utterly wretched. More than a day of waiting and anxiety had already drained too much of his strength; now that Tu Tu Kesiluo finally had a lead, Jiang Jiang Mingyu was on the verge of collapse.

Tu Tu Kesiluo quickly signaled for Jiang Jiang Mingyu to calm down, steadied his tottering body, and said in a deep voice, "Big Brother, calm down first; I did indeed find some news about Big Sister-in-law."

"What?" Hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu was startled; he widened his red eyes and said, "Speak quickly, where exactly is she?"

At that moment, Tu Tu Kesiluo patiently recounted the situation he had learned, and as Jiang Jiang Mingyu listened, his brows knitted tighter and his expression grew increasingly complex.

"How could this be..." he murmured to himself after Tu Tu Kesiluo finished, suddenly sitting down on a chair and covering his forehead.

"Liu Liu Yifei was actually conducting business here under an alias, and I knew nothing at all... Why is this? Why did she go missing when Mu Mu Feihang attacked? Was she really captured by Mu Mu Feihang?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu muttered to himself, his tone full of self-blame and worry. After a long while, he suddenly slapped his thigh, stood up, and said to Tu Tu Kesiluo with a somewhat twisted expression, "No! If she had truly been captured, Mu Mu Feihang would surely have used her to blackmail me! But in reality, he did not! This means Liu Liu Yifei is still safe; she just went missing for some unknown reason..."

Having said this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu began pacing in the hall again; his steps grew faster and his expression more anxious.

"But why did she go missing? Was it to avoid Mu Mu Feihang and his pursuit? But my main camp is the safest place! How am I supposed to find her now?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu asked and answered himself, his expression pained and conflicted. He suddenly stopped, punched the wall with one fist, and said in a low voice, "I should never have let her take risks everywhere; now I'm worried to death! As long as Liu Liu Yifei is safe and sound this time, I will never agree to let her leave my sight again!"

Watching from the side, Tu Tu Kesiluo also sighed. Jiang Jiang Mingyu's appearance at that moment was simply that of an overly worried husband and father.

"Big Brother, rest assured; I have already sent people to search everywhere for Big Sister-in-law. As soon as there is news of her, I will inform you immediately."

After hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded silently, his expression full of suppressed pain and worry. Leaning against the wall, he seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, his face utterly exhausted.